Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri (青森ねぶた祭り, "Aomori Nebuta Festival" or simply "Aomori Nebuta") is a Japanese summer festival that takes place in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The festival attracts the most tourists of any of the country's nebuta festivals, and is counted among the three largest festivals in the Tōhoku region. It was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1980.
"Nebuta" refers to the float of a brave warrior-figure which is carried through the center of the city, while dancers wearing a unique type of costume called haneto (ハネト) prance around in time with the chant Rasserā (ラッセラー). In the local dialect, participation in the festival is inquired using the verb haneru (ハネル, ex. "今日もハネル?" or "Are you going to haneru today?"), which was derived from the Japanese spelling of the haneto costume and the verb haneru (跳ねる, "bounce").
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Origin and history
The most widely-known explanation is that the festival originated from the flutes and taikos future shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro used to attract the attention of the enemy during a battle in Mutsu Province. The Tamuramaro Shō (Tamuramaro Prize) was created around this explanation in 1962 to be awarded to the festival's best group participant (later renamed to the Nebuta Taishō). However, it is unlikely that Tamuramaro actually conducted military expeditions in what is currently Aomori Prefecture, so this explanation is considered to be a legend. The festival most likely evolved out of traditional Shinto ceremonies like Tanabata.
Another explanation involves the etymology of the word Nebuta (ねぶた). Aterui (阿弖流為), a general from the Tohoku region, united the Emishi people who had been chased out of their native territory and defeated Ki no Kosami's army of 50,000 at Kitakami River to advance all the way to Fuji, Shizuoka. This army battled Sakanoue no Tamuramaro's forces for over 12 years, but was ultimately defeated. Aterui was captured and taken to Osaka Prefecture, where he was granted an audience with the ruler before being beheaded. Aterui's decapitated head was shown off to the public, and his family and followers still remaining in the Tohoku region were forced to dig large holes where they were buried alive. Dirt was thrown over these graves, and those who surrendered to the Japanese forces and became slaves were instructed to stomp over the dirt. This event is said to be the origin of Nebuta (written "根蓋" in kanji), as Aterui's followers were sent back to their roots or to the world of the dead (根) with the dirt as a covering (蓋). According to this episode, the dancers stomp the ground while carrying the float of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro on their shoulders.
During the Edo period and Meiji period, the act of carrying a large lantern float like the Nebuta was often banned by the government due to the potential fire hazard it posed to the surroundings. This ban was also put into place during World War II, but was lifted in 1944 as an effort to boost morale during the waning years of the war. Corporations began to sponsor the creation of the floats in the post-war period, and a strong emphasis was placed in expanding local tourism through the festival. The light source within the float was originally a candle, but was eventually changed to incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs powered by portable generators and rechargeable batteries. The frame of the floats also changed from bamboo to wire, lowering the risk of fire considerably. Nebuta floats also grew larger with time, but urban obstacles such as footbridges, power lines, and traffic lights only allowed their width to increase significantly. The floats often feature images of kabuki actors, various types of gods, and historical or mythical figures from Japanese or Chinese culture, but modern Nebuta floats may also feature famous regional personalities or characters from television shows (especially Taiga drama by NHK).
Organization
The festival is held every year from August 2 to August 7, where the float is carried through the city during the evening from August 2-6, and during the daytime on August 7. A fireworks show is held on the evening of the final day while the float is carried into the sea.
There are three types of floats used in the Aomori Nebuta Festival. The children's nebuta and regional nebuta are sponsored by local organizations, and are usually smaller than the normal nebuta. The children's nebuta is carried twice, from August 2-3. The large nebutas are always carried at some point during the festival, but few can be seen during the first two days of the festival, perhaps due to shortages in funds.
Processional route
The float is carried through the area surrounded by National Route 4, Shinmachi Street, Kenchō Street, and Aomori Heiwa Park. In the past, the floats started off one at a time from the intersection between National Route 4 and Kenchō street, and continued along the course in the clockwise direction. However, this caused the narrow Shinmachi Street to become overcrowded with festival participants, and the floats became unable to progress during the busiest parts of the festival. The route was changed to round the area in a counter-clockwise direction in order to solve this problem. The starting point was shifted to the intersection between Shinmachi Street and Yanagimachi Street when the building housing the floats changed locations.
Despite all of these changes, the finishing point of the route continued to be overcrowded with participants, preventing the festival itself from coming to a close. Two of the main streets in Aomori City are blocked off during the Aomori Nebuta, creating significant inconveniences for citizens if the procession does not finish on time. An increased number of karasu-zoku (see below) added to this problem, as these vandals tended to gather at the tail-end of the procession to cause disruption. Therefore, in 2001, all of the floats were pre-placed around the city and began their procession all at once and ended all at once at the signal of fireworks. The route was also changed back to the clock-wise direction. This caused there to be no beginning or tail-end to the procession, allowing the procession to flow more smoothly. This method also led to a decreased number of karasu-zoku and other vandals. However, the procession is always held in its original format on the final day of the festival.
Nebuta festival carries hope for disaster-affected Tohoku
BY SHIHO KUMADA STAFF WRITER
2011/08/04
Flashy Nebuta floats go on parade in downtown Aomori on Aug. 2. (Masaru Komiyaji)
AOMORI--The Aomori Nebuta Festival, one of the three major festivals in the disaster-affected Tohoku region, kicked off on Aug. 2, carrying people's hope for a quick return to normalcy in the region nearly five months after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Fifteen huge light-radiating Nebuta floats with various themes paraded along major roads in Aomori. Banners were hanging on the side of the floats, saying "Keppare Tohoku (Hang in there, Tohoku)."
The event will run until Aug. 7.
The Nebuta float, made of paper and wires, can be 5 meters tall, 9 meters wide and 7 meters long at the maximum. The floats traverse a 3-kilometer course in central Aomori.
Participants wearing specially designed yukata and straw hats with tiny bells attached to them, follow the procession of floats hopping along the way.
The festival began around 7 p.m. as the floats' illuminations were lit and music started with Japanese flutes and drums, filling the entire city with a festive air.
However, the number of pay festival-viewing seats was cut about 10 percent from last year's event because ripples from the quake continued to be felt in the prefecture.
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